Wisdom
by Seulement Alors
Summary: Zuko doesn't sleep at night. Instead he helps others with their inner demons.
1. Azula

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

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><p>Wisdom<p>

Her eyes snapped open. Outside the rain was pouring. The sound echoed through the metal and canvas of the war balloon. She lay on her bed listening to the sound. Most people thought the sound was relaxing, soothing; apparently it calmed the nerves.

What a foolish thought.

"There is no rain in the fire nation."

Even in the absence of rain there was still lightening and thunder storms that blew through the nation. Especially in the winter, when the cold air met with the natural heat caused by the surrounding volcanoes.

The sound of rain was irritating and distracting but it was no where near the terrifying sound of thunder.

Azula closed her eyes again, there was a time in her childhood when lightening and thunder had scared her. She could clearly remember the house shaking and the sky lighting up.

_The house rattled and then everything went quiet. The absolute silence that brought no comfort. The silence screamed louder than the actual thunder ever could. She slipped from the covers of her bed. Bare toes touched the cold wooden floors of the palace and she walked to the door. She hugged her arms closer to herself and crept down the hallway, feet quietly padding the well walked route. She passed her parents room, with the grand wooden door where the fire nation symbol was carved proudly and moved to the next door. This door was simple and bare. It was much like hers._

_Her hand hesitated above the door knob. _

"_Come in Azula."_

_The voice was quiet, barely heard through the door._

_Pushing the door in, she moved into his room. He was sitting up in his bed staring at her. He looked tired, dark rings around his eyes, but he was smiling at her. _

"_It's loud tonight." Maybe she said it to make herself seem stronger. Her brother wasn't scared of thunder and lightening; he was brave._

"_It is."_

_He scooted over to make room for her on his bed._

_She crawled into his bed and he covered them with the sheet._

"_Why aren't you scared of thunder?"_

"_Because even the loudest thunder can't hurt anyone. It's just noise."_

"_What about lightening?"_

_He buried himself deeper into the warm blankets. _

"_Did you know that lightening is a form of fire?"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah, and some firebenders have mastered lightening. The great sages tamed lightening. They learned to control it and use it against enemies."_

"_Is that why you aren't scared?" _

"_If we can learn to create it then we shouldn't be scared of it."_

In hindsight it was humorous. Zuko couldn't control lightening like she could.

Poor Zuzu, the poor boy couldn't create the most powerful form of fire. He had made her feel safe as a child but that was in the past when she was weak. He was the weaker bender. She had surpassed him. She had become stronger than him.

He was the weak one now.

Even though she had become the superior bender she could grudgingly admit that he had been a good older brother.

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><p>TBC<p>

Well, that's part one of six. I'm hoping they become longer. Azula was a little tricky to write about.

Please read and review. Reviews are inspiration.


	2. Toph

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

* * *

><p>It was well past night fall. The flames had died on their campfire and the smoke was the only evidence that there had been a fire there at some point.<p>

He lay away from the group. It was his choice to nest there but they weren't complaining about it either. There was still a lot of tension between him and the group. Especially with Katara, but Aang and Sokka seemed to welcome him with the chores or training. For the first time in a long time, Zuko found himself seeking trust. Seeking trust from those who had thought him an enemy.

Oh, destiny.

Rolling over, facing away from the people he had tracked over the world, he paused.

There was a noise, coming from near the camp.

Whoever was trying to ambush them was hiding their presence terribly; their breath kept hitching. Standing up slowly, Zuko grabbed his twin blades that he slept near and stepped into the shadows.

If he had learned anything from his years abroad searching for the Avatar, it was that shadows concealed everything you wanted to hide. Everything.

Stepping over the dried leaves that had fallen from the trees surrounding the structures of the Eastern Air Temple, he made his way to the small sounds escaping the terrible assassin.

Finally, he reached the sounds and he peered through the darkness.

There, sitting on the edge of the fountain but herself was the littlest team member of the group.

The little Earthbender.

Toph.

Toph, the snarky, quick-witted, sarcastic little blind girl who possessed more power than anyone with her temperament should. Still, Zuko had come to respect her. She sacrificed a lot to stay with the group and to teach the Avatar Earthbending.

He could relate, not that he would ever complain about abandoning his nation.

Sheathing his blades, he made his presence known and approached the distraught girl.

Heightened hearing made her spin violently and face him.

"What are you doing here?"

It was whispered harshly, but Zuko had expected some resistance from the headstrong bender. He would do the same.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Well, I don't really do conversations, so leave."

"I don't remember asking for a conversation."

She opened her mouth to respond then shut it with an audible snap. He was right.

Moments passed in complete silence. He could feel her staring at him, or as close to staring as someone with no eyesight could achieve. He ignored the tingling that travelled up his spine. Travelling, hunting and being hunted had honed his senses and trying to relax around people that didn't trust him fully was difficult.

Difficult, but not impossible.

"I feel comfortable at night. Surrounded by black as never bothered me," she said with a little chuckle. Toph wasn't sure why she was explaining herself to this young man, but it felt right. She didn't tell anyone else because deep down she knew that they would never understand. Not fully.

But Zuko seemed different. She had believed him the moment he had stepped into the camp. He wasn't lying then and he hadn't lied since. She could feel the despair deep inside him. It made his heart heavy, but he never complained and attempted to recieve comfort from others.

Strong and independent.

"I feel that at night everyone knows how it is to be blind, not just in sense either. At night feelings and thoughts invade your mind and you feel vulnerable to the world around you and you become blind to what's true and what's not."

She was rambling and embarrassed, but he wasn't stopping her and she couldn't bring herself to stop. Was this relief?

"I like to think of my parents."

There was a pause and then she could feel him nodding.

She sighed; a weight had been lifted from her chest. She felt so light, almost like she could fly away.

"They didn't understand. They believed because I was blind that I was weak and needed protection."

Beside her, he shifted so he was faced towards the water of the fountain. His back was impossibly straight. She almost laughed at the nobility of his posture.

"I pretended to be weak because I knew if I didn't I would create a life of protection and loneliness."

"You wanted friends."

She physically started at his words. It was shocking to hear his voice, but it was his words that touched her. Tears were starting to form in her eyes again but this time she couldn't even bring herself to feel embarrassed. Why should she?

He understood.

"Yes," she breathed. There, in three little words was the heart of the issue. She wanted to be wanted.

"Everyone wants friends."

"They kept me from making friends because I was an embarrassment to them and they were _so_ concerned with me getting hurt." The pressure in her chest was building again, making it hard to breathe. It hurt.

"They were being parents. They were doing what they thought was best for their daughter." He was facing her now. She could sense him staring into her eyes.

"Don't be upset. Parents do things that they believe are right for their child. They make mistakes like we do. Believe me, they make mistakes. Don't condemn them."

She sobbed, which was a heartbreaking noise that made his heart contract. She was so young. So very young. They all were.

Too young to be forced to fight for a free life.

He lifted his arm and she slid herself into his embrace. Neither of them strongly inclined to break their physical barriers, but it felt right.

The next couple minutes were very quiet, nobody breaking the silence. Then,

"thank you."

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><p>There. That was a little tough. Toph -get it? haha- is an interesting character.<p>

Please read and review.

Constructive criticism is always welcome and appreciated.


	3. Katara

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

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><p>Wisdom<p>

Here he was again.

Laying by the fire, pretending to sleep, wishing he could just slip into oblivion like everyone else.

Golden eyes fluttered shut, but his breathing refused to even out. A sigh escaped his lips and his eyes opened once again.

It was hopeless.

He could hear some shuffling coming from someone in the group. The sound stopped and he rolled onto his stomach, head cradled in his arms.

He was tired, so very tired.

His eyes were slowly closing, drifting closed from fatigue, then someone shuffled again.

God.

Whoever was shifting was going to pay in the morning, only if he could bring himself to find out who it was shuffling around like there were antbeetles in their pants.

His eyes snapped open.

Was someone crying? Is that what he heard?

With an exasperated sigh, Zuko heaved himself off of the bedroll and stood. Squaring his shoulders and cracking his back as he moved towards the noise.

He was surprised that the whimpering was coming from Katara. For a moment, he stopped. Should he try comforting her? He already knew that she was bound to get angry and embarrassed at his presence. Was it worth being yelled at? It was just a bad dream.

As he turned to leave, a small and soft whisper escaped her throat.

"Mom."

Shoulders raised and tensed, he shut his eyes against the word. It was almost like she had physically slapped him. He had to talk to her now, after all she had said during their time in the crystal caverns. After all she had done when he took her out to find the man responsible for her mother's death. He couldn't leave someone with that large of a wound alone. Like he had been.

Crouching down and shaking her shoulders, he whispered, "Katara, wake up."

As expected she started awake like someone had dumped ice water on her. She looked up to find the person responsible for her waking and her eyes narrowed to mere slits and she glared at him through the darkness.

"What do you want Zuko?"

The words were spoken harshly and he could see the blush of embarrassment on her cheeks but Zuko refused to go for the bait and simply replied, "you were having a bad dream."

Her eyes grew softer and he could see the shiny tears that formed in the corners.

"You don't think I know that?"

"I just wanted to help."

"Yes, well, thank you. You may leave now."

Taking a deep breath and releasing it out of his nose, Zuko remained patient.

She was baiting him and he wouldn't raise to the occasion. He would stay calm.

Even though Katara had forgiven him, there were moments when the relationship grew tense. He was wary of pushing her limits, because if push came to shove she wouldn't hold back. And he would.

Standing straight Zuko turned on his heel and left. He walked to the fountain he had just been at a couple nights ago with Toph. It was peaceful here.

Listening to the sound of the water cascading over the top of the spout and catching in the basin below was hypnotizing. He found he could get lost in the sound of his natural opposite. Lost in memories that he worked so hard to push into the dark recess of his mind. Moments passed and he sat there content with staring at the water listening to the quiet sounds. With a swish of cloth, Katara was seated next to him. Closer than he had expected, but far enough away that they weren't sitting with each other. Just, simply, in the same vicinity.

She was playing with the hem of her dress and shifted as if she was uncomfortable with the silence.

"I couldn't fall back asleep, thank you very much."

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Crystal blue eyes snapped up to his face. There were no words passed between them as she read him, through his eyes. Windows to the soul someone had once said. She was trying to read his soul and see his place in the grand scheme of the world. Would she see what his father had seen? Uselessness and unworthiness. Or would she see what Aang and Toph had seen? Jagged around the edges but had a good heart.

"You have changed."

A weight had been lifted from his chest. A weight that had settled there since his confrontation with his father on the day of Black Sun. The day he had decided to betray his home. Leave everything he had loved behind, again, but this time with no return unless he defeated his own flesh and blood. He wanted to tell her that he hadn't changed but, rather, got his priorities straight. He didn't though, worried that he could destroy the rare peace time he had with her.

"I said I forgave you today, and I wanted you to know that I meant it."

He looked up at her, to find nothing but honesty lining her face.

Nodding his head, he shifted away from the fountain to look up at the stars. That was one thing he had come to love after spending so long overseas. Large open skylines where you can see nothing but black forever, only to have the monotony broken by the grace of stars. The stars reminded him of his mother and of his uncle. Wise and mysterious.

"What were you dreaming of?" The question was simple, yet the answer anything but.

The silence that followed was louder than any scream could have ever been.

"My mother."

Not saying anything, Zuko wondered if he was the person she should be having this conversation with. He knew firsthand what she was going through, but he could never solve her problems, for he hadn't ever solved his.

"The last time I saw my Mother, she was telling me to get my father, and I should have seen it then." She was whispering and tears were slipping down her face.

"There was this determination in her eyes. She was going to keep her family safe no matter the cost," she hiccupped.

She spoke, harshly and with vehemence, "I...I wish I had done something to help her. I just stood there."

"What could you have done?" His voice was quiet and peaceful. A voice of reason.

"I...I could have...there..."

"Destiny has paths for everyone and your mother knew hers. She chose hers. Do you think she regretted her decision at all?"

"Never. She was always there for us."

"Your mother did everything she could for you and Sokka. Don't grieve at her loss, she did exactly what she had needed to."

"But...I could have helped her fight."

"And where would that have gotten you? How many soldiers were invading your home that would have come and done the exact same thing? How many lives would have been sacrificed?"

Zuko let the silence stretch, then continued in a quieter voice, "when I was in Ba Sing Se, I betrayed my uncle and I've never regretted anything more than the actions I did there. I wish I could go back and right what I did wrong. But I can't. I realize now that's a fool's dream. What I now know is, no matter what we do in the past, what determines our destiny is ourselves."

She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand, asking for silence.

"For a moment in your past you were scared and weak, but it will never happen again. We will not be observers in our own lives. We learn from our mistakes."

She was watching him speak, not saying anything.

"Katara, I'm not trying to tell you what to feel, but please don't live in the past. Don't throw away everything your mother gave you."

The tears were no longer dripping down her face, but rather pouring down her cheeks.

"I never meant to belittle what my mother did."

"I know."

"I just miss her, I miss her so much."

"I know."

She sniffled, rubbing her eyes, "Thank you Zuko."

Looking back up at the stars, wondering if his own mother was proud of him, or if she regretted what she had done to save him.

"You're welcome."

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><p>Three more chapters to go.<p>

Please read and review, constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	4. Sokka

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

* * *

><p>Wisdom<p>

At this point, Zuko was wondering if he should just ask Aang if he would just spar with him until he passed out. But, then again, Katara would be more willing, plus, she wouldn't hold back in a fight. He had given up pretending to sleep over an hour ago, and had walked the short distance to the clearing that sat just adjacent to their camp. It was there, in the relative seclusion that Zuko trained during nights that he couldn't sleep, which was all of them, and trained Aang in the morning.

Katara hadn't been sold on the idea of them training there because of the isolation in possessed, but Zuko had appealed to her motherly instincts and had explained that while Aang was practicing the fire could be wild, and no one was going to get hurt if they were out alone.

When she still hadn't been convinced he had said, "he's the Avatar, it's not like I could defeat him anyways."

For some reason that pacified her.

He sat cross-legged near the edge of the cliff, meditating, his Dao blades beside him. He slowed his heart beat to a mere whisper, and he could feel the energy pooling in his stomach stilling. It was the closest he had gotten to sleep in over two weeks. At some point, he realized, he was going to pass out from exhaustion, but then, he could sleep.

It wasn't all bad. As long as it wasn't during Avatar training.

His eyes snapped open. Someone was moving around in the bush, coming near him. Then just as Zuko was standing up, Sokka came spilling out into the clearing, tripping over the shallow roots and rocks.

Huffing, Sokka straightened and dusted down his clothes, glaring at the offending pieces of nature that had made his travels so troublesome.

"You're lucky I'm not a firebender, or you'd be nothing but a pile of ashes right now."

Sokka raised his eyes and focused on the person across the clearing from him, just realizing he wasn't alone.

His hand went to the sword strapped across his back, curling in on himself, in a defensive position. It wasn't until his eyes had adjusted to the more lit area of the clearing did Sokka realize who he was preparing to battle.

"Zuko?"

He nodded his head and slowly walked towards the watertribe warrior.

"What are you doing here Zuko?"

It wasn't asked with any heat, simply with confusion.

"I was meditating."

"At this time?"

"What are you doing here?"

Sokka looked down, as if embarrassed, then raised his head, scratching the back of his neck, "training with my sword."

The familiar and comfortable weight on his back reminded that he could train with the non-bender as well.

"Why aren't you asleep?"

"Just too much to think about."

It was an honest answer and Zuko was surprised at how freely the young man across from him spoke. The young man that was maybe a year younger than himself. Zuko lifted his arm and patted the swords on his back.

"Would you like to spar?"

There was a moment of silence, and Zuko felt a sliver of dread lodging itself into his stomch, he wanted to spar with someone who didn't rely on bending.

Then a huge smile split Sokka's face in half, "better watch your back because I've trained with a master."

Sokka completely unsheathed his blade, holding above his head, blade facing his competitor.

Zuko grabbed his twin blades, placing them in front of his body, protecting his core.

Sokka was the first to move, aiming for Zuko's throat.

Easily deflected, Zuko smiled, and widened his stance. Sokka had been trained well.

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><p>Both sitting down where Zuko had been seated before his interruption, Sokka wiped the sweat rolling down his face.<p>

"That was really good," he said taking big gulps of air, "you are really good."

Zuko flushed at the compliment and lowered his head, hiding his face. He ran a hand through his sweaty hair.

"Thank you. You as well."

"Yeah, Master Piandao was an excellent master."

Zuko raised his head sharply and stared at Sokka, "you trained with Master Piandao?"

Sokka sat up straighter and that cocky smile from earlier had returned, "yep and I had to pass judgement and everything."

Zuko nodded his head. He knew of Master Piandao, the greatest swordsman in the firenation, and the world.

"Did he know that you are from the Watertribe?"

Sokka nodded, "yeah, he said that the way of the sword isn't owned to any one nation."

"I've never met him."

Laying down on the clearing floor, Sokka looked a little surprised. "You didn't train with him?"

Shaking his head, Zuko looked out to the cliff side. The sun was rising and the sky was turning orange.

"I kind of thought that since you were royalty...who did you train under then?"

"No one."

"What?"

Sokka was sitting up again, staring at him with those big blue eyes, searching for truth in his statement.

"Then how did you learn?"

Zuko closed his eyes, then opened them again, slowly, as if he was stuck beneath a frozen lake, or stuck underneath the ice and the North Pole again.

"I taught myself."

"How? That's incredible!"

"You quickly learn what works and what doesn't when you're always on the run, and your own nation is chasing after you."

He didn't add that he had been using swords since he was young. Secretly training in the court yard behind the palace where no one could see. It was a passion that wouldn't have been acceptable. He knew what his father would have said had he found out,

_"Swords? Prince Zuko, maybe you should stop playing around with useless weapons, and practice firebending. Agni knows you need to work on it. Look at Azula..."_

Zuko figured that the only person who knew that he used them was Uncle. After he had been banished and they were loading the warship, Zuko had insisted on bringing along the twin blades and placing them in his room.

_"Decorations nephew?"_

_"I like them Uncle. They're antiques."_

Sokka sat there and looked at the older boy.

"You didn't answer my earlier question."

Zuko's face must have shown the confusion, because Sokka continued,

"Why were you here meditating so early."

"I couldn't sleep."

"Obviously. Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Just too much to think about."

Sokka looked like he might drive his black sword into the firebender, but he didn't.

Realizing nothing else was forthcoming, Sokka changed back to a simpler subject.

"You're a firebender. Why do you have swords too?"

"Just in case I'm in a situation where I can't bend, I have a backup plan." His answer seemed to satisfy the other boy. It wasn't the complete reason but it was close enough. Zuko looked down at his reflection in his blades that were sitting by his side. Why did he train so hard with his blades? Maybe it was because it was something that he could do that Azula couldn't. It was something that only Zuko knew how to do.

The time passed in companionable silence. Nothing but the badgerfrog's croaking as they moved into the sunlight to sunbathe. It was his favourite time of the day. When the world started to awaken. It was the most peaceful time, no war, no divisions, no nothing.

Then Sokka cleared his voice, breaking the quiet that had settled over the clearing.

The tone of his voice made it sound like he had been harbouring guilt for a long while,"I don't remember thanking you for all you did at the Boiling Rock."

Zuko nodded his head, "you don't need to thank me."

"I do. If you hadn't been there. I wouldn't have gotten there to begin with and even if I had, then I would have been stuck there with Suki, and possibly my father, with no way out."

"You would have found a way out. You're the plan guy aren't you?"

The somber look on Sokka's face disappeared and his lightened with humour. "Yeah, and don't you forget it."

Zuko looked straight into Sokka's eyes, "don't sell yourself short Sokka. Bending or no, you have saved your family with your many actions and impromptu plans. Trust me, I've seen it in action. There's a couple reasons why I couldn't catch you guys."

Sokka laugh filled the little clearing. Smiling, Zuko turned back to the sky which was now a light blue.

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><p>Okay, there we go. Hopefully that did some justice to Sokka's character. I love Sokka.<p>

Just a little note, I didn't write the fight scene, not because I'm lazy or anything, I just didn't want it to become the focus of this chapter.

Please read and review. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	5. Aang

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

* * *

><p>Wisdom<p>

He didn't even try tonight.

There was no point for him to lay on a bedroll, waiting for oblivion to take him and just find it completely elusive. The comet was only days away and Zuko knew that if he was going to be of any help, he was going to need to sleep. He was surprised at how calmly the others were sleeping regardless of the approaching timeline.

"Zuko?"

Or not.

Zuko turned and faced the owner of the voice. It was the young Avatar. He was standing behind him, looking as if the weight on the world rested on his shoulders, rightfully so. Zuko looked back over the cliff and into the black abyss. The Avatar came and sat beside him dangling his legs over the edge, swinging them back and forth as if to alleviate his never ending source of energy.

"What are you doing up?"

The firebender looked at the boy sitting next to him through the corner of his eyes and then his gaze returned to staring straight out.

"Thinking."

"About what?"

"Stuff."

"Oh," a little disappointed but not deterred, Aang followed his Sifu's gaze out to the canyon, "I couldn't sleep either."

Zuko didn't press and kept silent.

Aang kept silent as well, but with all the shuffling he was doing, Zuko realized the boy wanted to say something.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

Aang was surprised Zuko asked, and didn't answer right away.

Zuko thought he knew the reason he was still awake. The arrival of the comet was closing in on them and everyone seemed more stressed. The Avatar must be feeling the weight of his responsibility and the outcome of his fight with the firelord looming over him like a dark shroud of uncertainty. Zuko had it all thought out when Aang opened his mouth and began to talk, words leaving his mouth in a rush.

"I really miss my old friends, don't get me wrong, I love all my new friends, but I miss everyone I knew a hundred years ago."

Aang was sitting still, and Zuko was left gaping at the sudden load of information. It wasn't what he was expecting.

"What?"

Aang took a breath and started again, "I...I just miss my old friends. The ones I knew before the war started. The friends I could go and visit in the fire nation, like Kuzon."

"I miss Gyatso and the other monks."

Zuko listened to the boy, and remembered even though Aang had been frozen and was over one hundred years old he was still just a young boy. A young boy who had been shoved into a world of responsibility and dread and had been forced to give up a life that he had wanted into a life pre-determined by destiny. No one could understand that kind of frustration and helplessness.

Zuko could hear the tears in Aang's voice when he spoke, "I don't want to be the last airbender, the only airbender."

"You can't change what's happened."

Aang shook his head angrily, "I know that!"

"I want to see them again. I want to walk outside and not be hunted. I never wanted to be the Avatar."

Zuko let the silence stretch again. Once he was sure the Avatar was done he spoke.

"You can't choose how you enter this world. That role was given to you. It was given to you because you are the only person who can bring peace and prosperity to the world. You were chosen because we need you. There is no bigger honour than what you have been given."

Aang shakily shook his, wiping tears from his eyes quietly, "I know. I know. I just want..."

Zuko cut his off, " I know you miss your old teachers and friends and want to be with them. I get it. But love is one of the only things that can stand the test of time, and even though you can't be with them look who you are with now. You have people from each corner of the world. If you keep looking back you will miss what you have now, and trust me, to have exactly what you want and throw it away is the greatest mistake you could make."

Aang was nodding. It felt like Zuko wasn't judging him. He was surprised at how understanding the older boy was being by listening. Like how Katara would talk to him when he was sad. It was nice. It made him feel better about the loss of his loved ones.

"You have brought together the four elements just with your group of friends. Don't lose what you have Aang for a thought of something better."

They sat in silence for a while, Aang allowing Zuko's words to settle and blanket his overworked mind. Then Aang broke the silence, "hey Zuko?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember when I asked you if we could have been friends?"

Zuko couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face, "you mean when I shot fire at you?"

Aang laughed, small and tired, but genuine, "yeah... are we?"

Zuko answered without pause, without hesitation and it felt enlightening.

"Yeah."

Aang, who had been looking at him, smiled, a real Aang sized smile, and looked back out to the black sky. There was time before dawn, and he was tired now.

"Go to sleep Aang."

It was weird to hear his name from the older boy. It was always Avatar, but it made Aang feel closer to the firebender.

The monk straightened and stretched and turned to walk back to the camp.

"Thank you for listening. Goodnight Sifu Hotman."

Zuko couldn't bothered to be angry that time.

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><p>There. Sorry about the wait.<p>

This one was a little bit shorter than the other chapters.

One more chapter to go. Yah!


	6. Zuko

Takes place before the comet, after the Southern Raiders.

This is my first attempt at an Avatar fic, and I'm hoping to learn more about the characters as I write. We'll see.

**Growth in wisdom may be exactly measured by decrease in bitterness.**

**-Friedrich Nietzsche.**

* * *

><p>Wisdom<p>

Pinching the bridge of his nose, the firebender shut his eyes and sighed.

"You need to concentrate!"

"I am concentrating!"

"There is no heat behind your attacks."

"Sifu-hotman, I've been training with you for hours and I'm tired."

Moving to the steps of his old beach house, Zuko ran a hand through his sweaty hair and looked up at the sun, high above them in the sky. He had been pushing Aang hard this morning and had forced him to get up at dawn to meditate on the beach with him.

"Okay, you can take a rest and don't call me that."

A huge smile split the young monk's face in two, and he ran towards the waterbender who was holding a drink of sorts for him.

Zuko walked over to where he had left his Dao, and took a deep breath. There was no need for him to break, and it helped him to take his mind off of everything.

"Hey, mind if I join you?"

Looking up, Zuko grinned as he saw Sokka coming towards him, his own sword in hand.

"Sure."

As they both readied themselves, Zuko saw black dots invading his vision.

Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus on the swordsman if front of him.

"You ready?"

Instead of saying anything, Zuko crouched lower and raised his blades. He had spent the last few days sparring with Sokka, and the younger boy had really improved quickly.

Then Sokka was rushing him, blade drawn in attack. Zuko lowered one blade in defense and raised the other to pierce. As if Sokka had predicted it, he stopped his forward momentum and turned so he was perpendicular to the firebender and countering Zuko's own attack. Zuko's smile grew. Sokka was getting much better. To predict what both blades were going to do was a difficult skill to learn and Sokka was close to mastering it. Close.

As Sokka swept around the raised blade, Zuko lowered the second even further and it came very close to Sokka's calf. Sokka's blue eyes widened and with a hastily made roll, he pushed more distance between Zuko and himself.

Brow's drawn together; Sokka focused himself on the older boy.

Watch both blades because they're essentially one blade.

Shifting his feet, Sokka pressed his weight into the heels of the floor and sunk low.

Zuko blinked the sweat out of his eyes. He was hot, very hot. The black dots were back and were proving to be quite a distraction. Zuko took a step back and tried to focus on Sokka, but there were two of them. And they were both rushing towards him.

Two swords were raised high in defense, and everything grew hazy, like Sokka was a hallucination or a mirage. In a panic Zuko swung his blades in an arc, trying to defend himself from every direction but the movement had the opposite effect. He felt a biting sting in his arm and down his back and his vision went. He staggered as his world was shrouded in white. All the blood that had been pooling in his face left and flooded his ears. The roaring drowned out all other sounds.

A cold sweat dripped down his back and at the last second Zuko realized what was going to happen. He dropped his blades in hopes of catching on to something, but there was nothing there. As he fell, Zuko thought that perhaps he should feel embarrassed, fainting like this.

People were yelling and he heard his name being called. There was a tight grip on his arms but then everything turned from white to black, and with a sigh, he fell into the abyss that had eluded him for so long.

* * *

><p>Sokka watched as Zuko took a step back, preparing himself for another attack.<p>

In a run, Sokka raised his blade with the intention of putting the other swordsman off balance but Zuko didn't move right away. Zuko's eyes kept staring at him, then to the right of him as if someone else was there beside him. Then at the last second he seemed to realize that Sokka was in front of him and twisted. The non-lethal attack had grazed his upper arm and travelled to his back.

Sokka stopped where he was. The intention of the sparring match wasn't to inflict damage on the other person, but to show dominance in the fight. Neither one of them had actually injured each other in battle before.

"Hey, Zuko are you okay?"

He watched as the other boy as he looked around slowly, as if time had slowed, swaying where he stood.

"Zuko?"

He could hear Aang approaching them slowly, just as confused by the situation has he.

The clatter of metal reached his ears as Zuko dropped his blades and started to grope wildly about himself, looking like he was trying to grab something that was just out of reach.

Sokka dropped his own blade and ran towards him, at the same time Aang did.

He heard Katara and Toph yelling in the background but couldn't focus on what they were saying. Something was wrong with Zuko.

Then Zuko collapsed.

With one, last, large step, Sokka cleared the distance between them, and gripped his upper arms, pulling Zuko to his chest.

Aang reached them a moment later.

"Sokka, what happened?"

Sokka crouched down, keeping Zuko's head in his lap, as Aang tried to find the cause of the situation.

Suddenly Katara and Toph were there as well. Katara had her glowy blue hands and Toph was standing very still as if she was listening to something in the distance.

"I can't find anything wrong with him, other than the cut, but it's shallow and has already stopped bleeding."

"His heart beat his very slow right now," Toph said with a quiet finality.

Katara was bending the water back into the leather sack and said, "I'm not sure what happened but he seems fine, physically anyway."

Sokka nodded and looked at Aang. He looked upset, but reached over and gathered Zuko's blades, "we should head back then."

Sokka grabbed Zuko's arms and slung them across his shoulder, just as the other arm grabbed behind his knees.

Standing straight with the boy over his shoulder, they made their way to camp, without a word between them.

* * *

><p>He was more comfortable than he had been in a long time. His body felt like it was filled with lead and his eyes were glued shut. He felt so heavy. But he was so warm. There was something threading through his hair.<p>

_'Is someone petting me?'_

His bones felt like jelly and he couldn't find the energy to bring himself to care.

He could hear voices near him. Much closer to him than he was used to. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

His vision swam for a minute, then he focused on the mint green eyes of the little, blind earthbender.

"Oh, Sparky you're awake!" Toph smiled and he realized, slowly, that it was Toph petting him.

He could hear people shuffling around him, and Katara's face came into his view, "how are you feeling?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but it was dry and parched, and nothing came out. Her eyes warmed, "here, drink this."

Raising a jelly filled, shaking hand, Zuko brought the cup to his mouth and swallowed a big gulp of the cold water. It felt good, rolling down his throat, pooling in his stomach.

He noticed that they had moved his bedroll closer to theirs.

"We were worried about you Sifu-hotman," the young airbender sounded uncharacteristically subdued.

"I'm fine." His voice was raspy and a little gravelly, but it didn't hurt to speak.

There was a pause and everyone was quiet, they were all glancing at each other, as if communicating through looks.

Finally, Katara broke the silence.

"Why haven't you been sleeping Zuko?"

Golden eyes focused on the waterbender and he didn't say anything as she ploughed on, "we were talking and we figured out that you haven't been sleeping for the past few days, at least."

Zuko didn't answer right away, trying to think of a way to explain without giving anything away.

"I've had a lot on my mind."

It was an old and lame excuse, but the warmth of his blanket and the steady comfort of the fire was lulling him back to sleep. It would be so easy to slip back into the black oblivion. It was tempting. His eyes slipped closed without his permission and suddenly he could hear footsteps of the watertribe boy.

"Okay, give the man some space. He needs sleep."

Zuko could feel everyone move away except for the little earthbender, but he didn't mind. Her presence was a comfort.

He felt like he could float, free of some weight. The weight of acceptance that he had been carrying with him for three years but had refused to acknowledge. The heaviness on his chest wasn't gone, but it was lighter, more manageable. It was nice.

The space was filled with quiet idle chatter.

As he slipped off into sleep, Zuko listened to the quiet nattering of the small group. The small group he had come to admire.

The small group that was changing the world.

He fell asleep listening to the future of the nations.

* * *

><p>Woo!<p>

All done. That was fun.

Thank you to all for reading and thank you to those who left reviews, they are truly inspiration to continue.

Hopefully it was well written and enjoyable.

Constructive criticism is always appreciated and wanted.

Read and review.


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